I recently read a Facebook post that asked the question, “Why is negativity so much stickier than positivity?”. The short answer is because we have a brain. Yes, blame it on your brain. After all, the brain’s primary operating principle is “Safety First”. The brain is wired to continually scan the environment in search of potential threats.…

I was walking to my favorite lunch spot when I saw a sign that read, “We are closed today. Kaitlin’s going to college!” That same day I saw a Facebook photo of a dear friend standing in the airport sending her daughter away to college in New York City. I was struck by the sense of excitement I felt from…

There are no shortages of “reasons” to convince us to change something important in our lives. We get it! So can we finally understand that long term change comes from our brains, not from a pill or a heavy dose of shame? And here’s the thing, your brain makes decisions for you all the…

With summer coming to an end, students everywhere are starting back to school. My grandson, a sophomore in college, told me he’s not ready. Even though I’m not heading back to school, I found myself reflecting on the challenge I sometimes have with getting started. How about you: What are you ready to start before…

Our facilitators at Elation have several questions they like to consistently ask. One of them is, “Have you ever driven from Point A to Point B without thinking about each stop and intersection along the way?” Yes, I’ve done this! Most people have. I remember a time I was driving and suddenly someone was right behind me. My immediate…

I want to tell you a story. It’s a story of a sad soul. Her entire life she never felt like she was good enough. Life had taken it’s toll on her. Keeping her hostage from freedom and happiness. When I met this sad soul, I listened to connect. To hear. To understand her story.…

“Never underestimate the magnitude of the forces that reinforce complacency and that help maintain the status quo.” -John Kotter I love working with people both young and old. What I love even more is when they start to “get it.” When they begin to probe and ask deeper questions like: Why am I here? What…

I was driving home from work the last week when I noticed some exterior work happening at an office building. There was scaffolding in place to help with the work the crew was doing. I drove away thinking about how critical that scaffolding is to the success of their work. Scaffolding provides some temporary support and…

I recently had a conversation with a client who told me that one of her greatest strengths is that she is fantastic at multi-tasking! New neuroscience research proves that multi-tasking is next to impossible. You mean to say that I can’t check my email, work on the report, and have a meeting and IM all…

Have you ever spent time around people who are too smart to think? They have an uncanny ability to recite information verbatim from a book, but when asked to come up with an original thought they struggle immensely. Working for Elation, one of the most important lessons that I have learned is: “How you think…

Every person that we come into contact has a different interpretation of experiences. This is what makes us unique. We bring so many different things to the table… personal experience, heredity, culture, and even relational history. Our mindset is the way we view the world. And yet, our perspectives can shift and change. Managers face the…

Have you ever have one of those mornings where everyone seems to be irritating you? Do you ever find yourself at the end of a day thinking, “How can so many people be so wrong?” Or maybe it’s a trip where you take stock of how many horrible drivers there seem to be. Or, did…